My personal version of the movie Groundhog Day

It is the same every morning. I wake up and the battle begins. The battle to get my children out of bed, fed, and off to school. What is mind numbing about it is that the dialog is the same every day - repeating the same 6 lines, every day.

"It's time to get up now"
- the word now becomes louder with each delivery.
"Please sit down and eat"
- the word please becomes more pleading.
"What are you doing?"
- it's always something different than what needs to be done, and is
every other sentence I utter.
"Shoes on, hair and teeth brushed!"
- each day it's like a new directive to them.
"Why do I have to remind you of the same things everyday?"
- I have yet to receive an answer to that question, unless "I don't know" counts.
"Let's get out the door, we are late"
- this has to be repeated at least 3 times before movement begins.

Every once in a blue moon they will surprise me and eliminate the need for a line or two, but those moments are rare and brief. I am left with the choice of trying to rewrite the show, or just accept the fact that this is the movie I am in. Most days I just accept it. While a rewrite would be a dream come true, I just don't have the energy to force my actors to learn a new set of lines. My only hope is that they become bored with the script and start the rewrite on their own. Thank goodness I love them so much!

Ugly Houses and Their Agents

I have been looking at a lot of houses lately. I have a client
who is weeks away from giving birth to twins, and she really
wants to buy a house. With such a large inventory available
you wouldn't think that would be such a challenge, but it is.

The problem is Ugly Houses. Wait, that's not right.
The problem is Ugly Houses and the Agents who lie in order to
get you to look at them. Agents love to describe their houses
as "updated", and "spacious", and "move-in-ready". Liars!

Maybe I am not being fair. Perhaps there are people who want to
move into a house that smells like cat pee or cigarette smoke.
Maybe putting a new stainless steel stove in a 25 year old kitchen
counts as updated. And as long as a couch can fit in the Living
Room (never mind any other furniture)I guess it is spacious.

I find myself cursing my fellow Agents each time I am duped into
showing a house based on an inaccurate (dare I say, deceptive)
description. I have to fight the urge to call them up and ask them
to justify what they wrote. Worse still, I have to try to explain to
my clients why I brought them to that house since it is not close to
what they are looking for.

My solution has been to preview as many houses as possible before
taking my clients to look at them. If I look at 8 houses, I usually
end up with 4 good ones. I don't think 50% is a very good percentage.

So, my fellow Agents, please be honest with your clients, yourselves,
and the rest of us. I am tired of looking at Ugly Houses.

Don't Neglect your Electrical System

How often do you think about those outlets in your house
that have reset buttons? Probably only when the hair dryer
causes it to 'pop'. Well, those outlets (GFCI) should be
tested monthly. They are there for your safety, and just
like your smoke detectors, you need to make sure they are
working properly.

If you do not have GFCI outlets in your house, you should
have them installed. They should be present in your kitchen,
bathrooms, garage, and on the exterior of your house.
If you have GFCI breakers in your panel, they also should be
tested monthly.

If you live in an area that gets a lot of rain, make sure that
your exterior outlets have a cover on them that seals properly.
Moisture in the outlet will trip the circuit.

One final word about outlets (any kind). If you find that your
outlets are loose when you plug and unplug items, it is time to
replace them. Outlets are not designed to last forever.
The wires become fatigued.

The most common items to show up on home inspections are
electrical. Very often the problems that are found could
have been prevented with just a bit of attention through
the years. Your home is your most important investment.
Don't neglect the systems that maintain that investment.

A special thank you to Jason Parker at Parker Electric.
I asked himwhat people could do to help maintain the electrial
systems in their homes. He gave me numerous suggestions.
This was just one of them. I will postmore information in the future.

Brilliant New Sales Technique!!

I have discovered a sales technique that is going to revolutionize my
Real Estate business. Well, I didn't actually discover it. It was
used on me and I just can't wait to share it with my potential clients.

Now, I should probably back up a bit. In addition to being a Realtor,
I also help run Parker Electric with my husband, Jason. I do the
scheduling and the accounting. I am the first person our customers
talk to. Of course,there are always sales people calling trying to
sell one service or another. Usually it is a very straight forward
conversation. Sometimes I buy, usually I don't. Recently a new
strategy has emerged. It is brilliant.

It goes something like this:


"Hello, Parker Electric"

"Is Jason there?"

"No, I am sorry he is out on a job. How may I help you?"

"Yea, give me his cell number"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Jim"

"What is this in reference to?"

"Look, just give me his cell"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that until I know what you are calling about"

"What are you, his Mother? He can't have a conversation unless you
say it's okay?"

"No Jim, I am his Wife, and an owner of this business. Now, what
do you want?"

"Listen, you stupid whore I don't care who you are. I don't want to
talk to some fu**ing bitch, now give me his cell number.

I have received 4 such calls in the last week. There are slight
variations, but the general tone is the same. Now I don't know
what genius came up with this sales strategy, but Einsteins got
nothing on this guy. It must have taken him months to perfect this
system. I wonder if he has a how-to video. Are the insults proven
deal closers, or can I go off script and still get results?

Well, I just can't wait to put this new discovery to the test.
So, don't be surprised if you receive a random call from an
arrogant, aggressive, insult-spewing woman.

It's just me - and I want to sell you a house!

Why the H*** Do They Call it a Short Sale???

Oh,the confusion that those two words have caused.
I have had so many people interested at looking at
Short Sales because they think it is a fast way to
a house (and a bargain). Nothing could be further
from the truth.

First of all, Short Sale properties are priced at
market value. The price reflects the condition
and location of the property. That is no different
than any other house for sale. So, Short Sale does
not necessarily mean you are getting a great deal.

Second, the reason it is called a Short Sale has nothing
to do with how long the process will take. It is so named
because the homeowner is going to be short of the amount
needed to pay off the mortgage. This complicates the
process and turns what is normally a 30-60 day process into
one that can take months.

Because the homeowner is going to be short, the bank
must agree to the sale at the offered price. You will often see
the phrase, "3rd party approval required". The bank is the 3rd party.
They must agree to the sale without going after the homeowner for
additional cash to make up the difficiency. Banks have been known
to sit on offers for over 6 months without giving the buyers any
indication of whether or not they are going to accept or reject
the offer.

Now, new laws went into effect a few weeks ago that are supposed
to streamline the process. It is a bit to early to tell if these
regulations are having any effect. In the meantime, more and
more homeowners are finding themselves owning a home that they
owe more on then they can sell for. Short Sales continue to be
a log jam in the system. And no recovery of the housing market
is going to be possible until that log jam is cleared.

So, think long and hard before you make an offer on a Short Sale.
Make sure your Agent has sucessfully negotiated Short Sales in the
past, or that she/he has a good Short Sale negotiator they use.
Be patient, and good luck!

Homebuyer Tax Credit Confusion

There seems to be a bit of confusion about the Homebuyer Tax Credit.
So, here it is in a nutshell:

~If you have not owned a home in the last 3 years you are
considered a first-time homebuyer.
~If you have a valid contract to purchase a home in place
before April 30th, and you complete the purchase before
June 30th, you are eligible to receive a check from the
U.S. Government for $8000.
~The home has to be your Primary residence.
~You can use this money for anything you want. It does not
have to be paid back unless you sell the home, or it ceases
to be your primary residence, within 3 years of purchasing it.

~If you have owned the same home for 5 of the last 8 years,
you are considered a Repeat Homebuyer. Follow the rules
above and you are eligible for a check for $6500.

If you are considering taking advantage of the Tax Credit,
you need to talk with a mortgage broker as soon as possible.
Find out what you can qualify for, and then get shopping.
As I discussed in an earlier post, you DO NOT want to wait
until the last minute to get your contracts signed.

I hope this helped to clarify things a bit.
Happy Hunting!

A Random WalMart Rant

At least once a week I find myself at WalMart.
I have a hate-hate realtionship with WalMart.
I hate that there are 4 or 5 items that I have
to buy there. Well, I guess I don't have to,
but the savings on some items is so great that
I feel compelled to buy them there. The other
side of the coin is that I HATE being in the store.
It is always understaffed, poorly signed, cluttered,
and low on inventory. I am at a loss to understand
how WalMart got to be the powerhouse that it is.
The whole place runs contrary to anything approaching
customer service. As someone who is hyper-focused on
customer service, going into WalMart is like putting on
wool underwear. My one glimmer of hope is that Target
continues to challenge them.

In the meantime, I shop at Trader Joe's for
the bulk of my food, and save my trips to WalMart
for a day that has already been lousy. I try never
to go to WalMart when I am in a good mood, it just
blows the whole thing.

Homebuyer Tax Credit Reminder

As you probably know, April 30th is the deadline for the Homebuyer Tax credits. You must have a valid contract by April 30th, and close by June 30th.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

~Short Sales comprise a large percentage of the market.
If you place an offer on a Short Sale you probably will
not have an answer on your offer in time.
Have a back-up just in case, and get your offers in this week!

~Try and plan for bumps in the road.
If you wait until April 29th to make an offer, and it
falls apart because of inspection issues, or mortgage issues,
you will lose your deal and the tax credit.
So, try and get all the contingencies removed before the deadline.

~If you have already purchased and are applying for the tax credit,
check with your Accountant about how to file. My tax guy is
recommending that you don't mix your income tax refund request
with your tax credit request. File your return as normal, and
then file an ammended return for the tax credit.
If you file them together,you will wait longer to get your money.

If you have been thinking about buying - this is a great time to do it.
There is a huge inventory, interest rates are low, the tax credit is still available, and it is a Buyer's Market! Happy Hunting!